When the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ordered government services contractor SOS International (SOSi) to reclassify its interpreters working in US state courts as employees in March 2018, the move was seen as a landmark ruling potentially affecting thousands of linguists and the broader language industry.

As employees, translators and interpreters would be entitled to state protection as defined by the National Labor Relations Act as well as benefits reserved only for full-time workers.

The ruling, however, may have broader consequences for the industry than meets the eye.